Twenty Times Tempted: A Sexy Contemporary Romance Collection

by Petrova, Em

  It was strange not writing on the flight and Nicholas felt at a loss as to what to do. Whenever he flew he worked on his next book and always managed to get a lot done during those long hours in the air. He supposed he could pull his iPad out of his bag and watch a movie or read a book, but neither option appealed to him.

  His publisher had emailed a couple days before to say his next book would be released in a few weeks (after his wedding and honeymoon, of course) and wanted to know if he’d be available for book signings. He emailed back saying he wanted to take a short break while he spent time with his new family and told her he’d be in touch in a month or two.

  Nicholas’ mind wandered back to the secret he was about to reveal to Prue and his stomach tightened. How would she react to his confession?

  ***

  Prue couldn’t wait to pick Nicholas up from the airport. It had been a few weeks since she’d seen him because he’d flown home to organize the move and the sale of his house. His belief was he could write anywhere and he had no intention of disrupting Nikki’s life by moving her and Prue to Monterey. While he was away, Prue made wedding preparations. She had contacted Rachelle and asked her to be a bridesmaid, to which her friend had answered with an excited yes! Prue also asked her closest friends in Pittsburgh, Laura, her high school friend, and two colleagues, Cathy and Bernadette, from her previous job at the local television station.

  Her wedding dress had arrived and was hanging in a clear plastic cover on the closet door in her room. It was exquisite. She had chosen a beaded, white lace and charmeuse satin, backless, floor-length slip dress with scalloped lace V-neckline and elegant appliquéd train. Nikki’s chiffon and tulle lilac flower girl dress had arrived at the same time, and the bridesmaid dresses would be delivered the next week, so, at least, that was one important component taken care of.

  Prue’s mom offered to make the wedding cake. Not only was she an amazing cook but also an incredible baker and Prue knew the cake would be divine. They’d chosen a buttercream, three tier basket design with crystallized flowers – lilac pansies, lemon roses, violets, cornflowers and lavender circling each row. And her mom would also make miniature copies of one tier for guests to take home.

  Nicholas and his wedding party would wear charcoal gray suits with white shirts, lilac long ties and corresponding pocket handkerchief to match the bridesmaid outfits. He had asked his friend, Peter Moncrieff, to be his best man and Lloyd, Toby, and another friend, Jake, to be his groomsmen.

  The author had made a reservation with the LeMont Restaurant for their wedding reception and a pre-wedding dinner. He was of the opinion that the elegant ambiance of the venue was the perfect complement to a wonderful ceremony and to his beautiful bride.

  Everything was coming together and Prue couldn’t have been happier, nor could she wait to become Mrs. Prue Colton.

  ***

  Prue waited at the arrivals lounge for Nicholas to disembark. Her heart did a little skip when she saw him coming through the door and she rushed over to him. Before she could say anything, Nicholas moved her to one side and pressed his mouth to hers in a long, slow hello kiss. Prue’s head was dizzy with delight. They had missed each other so much.

  When their lips parted Prue gave a happy sigh. “Wow!” Her face was aglow and her smile widened.

  “It’s so good to be back here with you. I’ve missed you both.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they headed out of the airport.

  “We’ve missed you too. I’ve been busy though. The wedding plans are coming together beautifully. Everything’s almost done.”

  “That’s great news. It’s going to be a wonderful day.” He smiled and kissed her forehead.

  “Yes, it is.”

  Nicholas was glad Prue hadn’t brought Nikki along to pick him up. He wanted to talk to her about his secret and thought while they were alone was as good a time as any. On the drive out to his parents’ home, he asked Prue to pull off the road for a moment.

  Once the car was stopped he turned to her. “Darling, there’s something I need to tell you before our wedding day.”

  Prue frowned. “Sounds serious.” She reached over and took his hand.

  He sighed. “It could be.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You remember me saying I had a surprise for you?”

  She smiled. “Yes, of course I do. A special wedding gift.”

  Nicholas placed his other hand on hers. “It is, yes.” He sighed again. “It’s difficult to explain though. Perhaps it would be better if I show you.”

  “Now? Isn’t it meant to be a surprise for our wedding day?”

  “I think you need to see it before then. Let me drive.”

  They changed seats and Nicholas pulled the car back onto the road.

  There would still be enough daylight when they arrived for him to show her what he’d kept from her for so long. Nicholas’ heart thudded as he drove toward their destination. What would Prue say when she figured out where he was taking her?

  When he turned onto the dirt drive her gaze fixed on him and she folded her arms. “Why are we here?” Her voice was defensive.

  He continued under the canopy of trees. “You’ll see in a minute.”

  Nicholas pulled the car up out front of the two-story, immaculate house, got out of the car and walked around to open Prue’s door. He held out his hand to her. “Coming?”

  Prue shook her head. “Who lives here now?”

  “We do. At least we will after our wedding.”

  Her eyes widened. “No!” She continued shaking her head in disbelief.

  “Darling, please come take a look.”

  “I can’t believe you bought it.” Prue scowled at him. “When the realtor told me the buyer wanted to remain anonymous I didn’t understand why. Now I do. How did you know about the house?”

  “I was looking for a home to renovate and saw it online. I didn’t know it was yours until I spoke to Miranda and she told me the story behind the sale. That’s when I knew I had to buy it. Will you please let me explain and if you’re still unhappy with my reasons we’ll sell the house. Ok?”

  She sighed. “I don’t want to live here, Nick. Why did you do this?”

  He squatted by the open car door and took her hands in his. “We’ve both suffered terrible losses. Something neither of us will ever truly get over. I understand how you felt when you lost Connor because I felt exactly the same way losing Pam. I thought my world had ended, and without her in my life I wanted it to. Even though we’ve had the good fortune of falling in love with each other our lost loves will always live in our hearts. Where else could they be? Connor was the love of your life; you’d been together since you were kids. I couldn’t ask you to forget him any more than you could ask me to forget Pam. I wanted this home to be his legacy to you, something tangible to remember him by.”

  Prue’s eyes stung and a painful lump formed in her throat. She gave a heavy sigh and her tear-filled eyes moved to the front of the house. It was beautiful. Nicholas had created a stunning home for them to share. She spoke in a quiet voice. “I appreciate your heartfelt sentiment, Nick, I do. But I don’t think I have the strength to live here. The memories are too painful. I want us to be happy, not have a cloud of sorrow hanging over our life together.”

  Nicholas followed her gaze. “I don’t believe there would be. I think this home would become what Connor wanted for you. A place filled with love and happiness.” He turned to her. “Are you sure you don’t want to see inside?”

  She shook her head.

  He sighed. “Ok. We’ll head back then.”

  The drive to Nicholas’ parents’ home was silent and he could see Prue was in quiet contemplation. Was she hurt? Was she angry? Was she reconsidering their wedding plans? He reached for her hand. “Talk to me, darling. Let’s not hold things inside and not discuss them with each other. I’ll do whatever you ask. I’ll put the house on the market and sell it, if that’s what you want.”

>   Prue glanced at him. “I have nothing to say.”

  “Are you sure? You seem to be doing a lot of thinking over there.” He gave a thin smile.

  “I’m sure.” She turned and gazed out of the passenger window again.

  Chapter Forty Six

  Nicholas and Prue’s wedding day had finally arrived and the beautiful spring morning―radiant sunshine, blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds and a warm gentle breeze―held the promise of a wonderful open-air ceremony. It couldn’t be more perfect.

  Family and friends living in other states drove or flew in a couple of days before, and on the eve of the couple’s nuptials, everyone attended a pre-wedding dinner at LeMont restaurant. It had been a night of excellent food, great wine and good conversation which had continued on into the early hours of the morning. Marriage officiant, Audrey Williams, had been the first to leave the venue at midnight saying she’d see the couple outside the Allegheny Observatory the next afternoon at 3.30 p.m.

  Prue hadn’t mentioned the house since the night Nicholas had taken her to see it, and he wondered if she’d made a decision. He hadn’t wanted to spoil the excitement of their approaching wedding day by bringing it up and decided to wait for the right time after their honeymoon.

  The author had arranged a romantic tropical getaway with reservations at a five star Tahitian resort. The couple’s opulent bungalow accommodation sat above the crystal clear water of a white sandy beach and he couldn’t wait to arrive at their blissful destination and have his new bride all to himself for a while.

  Nikki would be staying with both sets of grandparents during the four weeks her parents were away and she was excited to have a new gran and poppie to spend time with.

  Prue, Nikki and her bridesmaids were preparing for the big day. The hair and makeup artist had arrived at 9.30 and started working on the women at ten o’clock. Prue, being the bride, was the last one to be styled so that her makeup looked fresher for longer.

  Rachelle had flown in the day before and was staying with Prue at her parents’ house. It had been great catching up and spending time together, and Prue realized how much she had missed her friend.

  Nicholas and the men of his bridal party were at his parents’ home. Pete had arrived early that morning, unable to get away any sooner as he’d been working on a case. Nicholas was finding it difficult to get used to his friend’s new look. The PI had his wavy, collar-length sandy locks trimmed and was clean-shaven, a far cry from the rugged guy who usually appeared on the author’s doorstep.

  The bridal cars would arrive at three to take Nicholas and his entourage to Riverview Park. The couple had chosen classic Ford Model A silver and black hard tops as their mode of wedding transportation. And having the domed and columned observatory building as the backdrop for the ceremony would lend a feeling of elegance to their perfect day.

  Although he couldn’t wait to be married to Prue, Nicholas’ stomach did uneasy flip flops and his palms were sweaty. He inhaled a deep breath and blew it out as he shrugged into his charcoal gray suit coat.

  Peter could see his friend was nervous and brought him a glass of scotch. “Here, this’ll do the trick. It’ll take the edge off.” He handed the drink to his friend and slapped him on the back. “Bottoms up.”

  Nicholas downed the alcohol in one swallow and coughed as it slid into his irritable stomach. He passed the glass back to his friend. “Thanks. Have you got the rings?” His voice sounded anxious even to him.

  Peter dug into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out the two, small velvet bags. “Don’t worry. All taken care of.” He pushed them back into place. “Relax.”

  ***

  The first car arrived at Prue’s parents’ house right on three. Her mom, Nikki and the bridesmaids went ahead to wait for her to arrive. Her dad was in the kitchen talking to the caterer who had come by to collect the wedding cake and Prue was putting some finishing touches to her outfit: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. She wore a pair of crystal stud earrings that had belonged to her grandmother, a diamond bracelet borrowed from Rachelle, her garter was blue and of course her wedding attire was new. The second Ford Model A would arrive in half an hour to take her and her father to the park, so she could be traditionally late to her wedding.

  When three thirty came around and the car arrived Prue’s dad called up the stairs. “Sweetheart, the car’s here. Ready to walk down the aisle with your old dad?” He couldn’t wait to see his beautiful girl in her wedding dress.

  Prue didn’t answer.

  Martin frowned, climbed the first few steps and tried again. “Prue, the car’s here.”

  Still no answer.

  He climbed the stairs, walked along the hall to Prue’s room and knocked. “Everything alright in there?” He opened the door to find the bedroom empty. Martin continued down the hall to the bathroom. “Honey, are you in there?” It was empty too. “Where could she be?”

  Had Prue left with the women and didn’t tell him? He called his wife’s cell. “Lori, is Prue with you?”

  “What do you mean ‘is Prue with me’? Isn’t she with you?” She ran her eyes around the guests and Nicholas and his group standing with the marriage officiant.

  Martin was flustered. “Well, no, I can’t find her.”

  “Have you checked everywhere?”

  “Of course I have. She’s not here.”

  “Where could she be? What am I supposed to tell Nick?”

  “Don’t tell him anything yet. I’ll be there in a while and we can talk to him together.”

  “Marty, I’m worried about her. Do you think she’ll show up?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t understand why she’s gone. Did she say anything to you?”

  “No, not a thing. I thought everything was fine.”

  “The car’s out front. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Ok, hon. See you when you get here.” Lorraine sighed as she slipped her phone into her purse. Where are you, Prue?

  Chapter Forty Seven

  Lorraine was standing on the lawn beside the road when the bridal car pulled up opposite the observatory. She stepped up and opened the door for her husband and he climbed out. “Any word?” he asked, hoping their daughter had called her mother.

  She shook her head. “No. Nothing.” She turned to look at Nicholas and his groomsmen standing across the lawn. “What are we going to tell Nick?”

  “The only thing we can tell him. The truth.” He followed her gaze to their future son-in-law and sighed. “Let’s get it over with.” He took his wife’s hand and they headed over to the author.

  Nicholas beamed as they came toward him and Lorraine’s heart clenched. How would he take the news?

  “Nick, can we talk to you for a minute over there?” Martin pointed to a nearby tree and he and Lorraine made their way over to it.

  “Of course.” He followed the pair into the shade.

  “I, uh, don’t know how to tell you this…”

  Nicholas rested his hands on his soon-to-be father-in-law’s shoulders. “What is it?”

  Martin cleared his throat. “We, uh, we can’t find Prue.”

  The smile disappeared from Nicholas’ face and his hands dropped from the older man’s shoulders. “What?” A look of confusion crossed his face. “What do you mean you can’t find her?”

  “When I called upstairs to tell her the car had arrived… she, she wasn’t there.”

  An anxious frown replaced the confusion. “Did she say anything beforehand?”

  “No,” Lorraine said. “As I told Marty, she hadn’t mentioned that anything was wrong.”

  Nicholas paced once, stopped and looked at Lorraine. “Prue didn’t mention the wedding gift I bought for her, did she?”

  She shook her head. “No. Why would she?”

  He sighed. “Because I bought the house Connor was building and had it finished.”

  Lorraine’s mouth gaped and her eyes widened. “You did? Why?”

>   “I know how much he meant to her. I thought it would be a nice legacy.”

  “Oh, Nick.” She gave him a pained frown, her hand on her heart. “That’s it… that must be why she ran off.”

  Nicholas’ eyes lit up. “I think I know where she is. May I borrow your car?”

  Lorraine handed him her keys. “Drive safely.”

  “I will. Please tell Audrey there’s been a slight delay.”

  “Of course.” She waved him off. “Go find your bride.”

  Nicholas headed for the bridal car he had arrived in.

  ***

  When Nicholas arrived at Prue’s parents’ home he headed straight to the garage. Her mom’s blue Ford was there but her father’s four wheel drive was missing. He climbed into the hatchback, reversed out of the garage and sped off.

  Why hadn’t she talked to him about her feelings? Why had she waited until their wedding day to do something about it? He pulled his cell phone from the inner pocket of his suit coat and pressed Prue’s number. The phone went to voicemail. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket and accelerated. He had to find her.

  Half an hour later, he turned onto the dirt drive and drove to the double gates. Pulling the car up at the front steps, Nicholas threw the door open, climbed out and raced onto the porch. The front door was open. He stepped across the threshold, the one he should have carried Prue over, and rushed into the living room. She wasn’t there. “Prue? Prue, where are you?”

  She appeared at the top of the stairs. She was a vision in her wedding gown. “I’m here,” she said in a quiet voice.

  Nicholas could see she’d been crying. He climbed the steps to her. “Darling, why did you run off like that? Your mom and dad were worried about you. So was I.”

  Prue gazed up at him, tears slipping down her face. “I – I needed time to think.”